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Chase's pov
A week after the night at the pub, I still haven't seen Arabella. I didn't know what happened and why she wasn't answering her phone.
I decided to go to her house and see what was going on. I rang the doorbell, but after a couple of minutes, I didn't get any answer. I tried a second time, but after not getting any response, I decided to take the key she hid in a hole in the wall, that was covered by a plant. I wasn't sure if I should have entered her house without her consent, but I was too worried.
«Bel?» I called her as I closed the door behind me. The only sound in that house was a film on the TV. I approached and saw Arabella on the couch, covered with a blanket. Her hair was tied in a low and messy bun, her eyes were red and her face numb. She cried, or perhaps she was still crying, which shocked me, since in five year I never saw her crying. I quickly left my things on the table and rushed to Arabella. «What happened? Why aren't you answering your phone?» I asked sitting next to her. «Are you eating enough? And sleeping?»
«I don't wanna see if he called me or not.» she said after sniffling.
«Who? Alex? What happened?» I asked again.
«I don't think he wanna see me again.» she said.
Her words came out of her mouth slowly and very lowly.
I sighed. I didn't know how to help her, she was the one that studied psychology and knew exactly how to help people, but I really wanted to cheer her up. «Did you eat something today? Or yesterday.» I asked her. She shook her head. «I'm gonna take some food and I'll bring it here,» I said. «then you'll tell me what happened.»

I tried to be as fast as possible and when I got back to her house, she was still in the same position I left her, staring at the Television screen. «I didn't know what you wanted, so I took fried stuff, Japanese, Chinese, Greek, Mexican and Rita gave some stuff I can't pronounce 'cause it's in Italian.» I said. «There's also ice cream, muffins and Mexican Coke. What do you want?» She shrugged, still staring blankly at the TV. «What about Japanese?» I asked.
She nodded and I left the bags on the table and brought on the couch with me the food.
I handed her her favorite type of ramen and I took mine. «Thank you.» she said with a very forced smile. Not that it wasn't sincere, but she clearly wasn't in the condition to smile truly.
«Is it about the Jess thing?» I asked. She nodded. «Does he know it happened in college? You and Jess didn't even know each other.»
She nodded again. «He wasn't mad about that, he was mad about the fact that I didn't tell him.»
«That's it? Just for that he hasn't texted you in a week?» I said. «I'm so sorry Bel, but he's so dramatic.»
She let out a small giggle. «Well, I guess he's not my problem anymore.»
«You sure he is not just taking some time to metabolize what happened?» I asked her.
«Don't know actually... I wanna pretended like I don't care so that maybe I'll believe it too.»

Arabella's pov
Two weeks passed by and so did the end of June. Chase spent everyday with me, trying to cheer me up, even if I told him I was fine.
My doorbell got rang multiple times, annoying me since it was one of the things I hated the most. I got up from the couch, leaving my acoustic guitar next to where I was sitting.
Opening the door, I saw Evie and Chase, under Jess's arms. «There she is,» Jess loudly said. «my beautiful Arabella, put on your shoes, 'cause we are going out.»
I looked at Evie and Chase confused, that seemed to accept Jess's behaviour without wondering about it. I sighed and grasped my boots, that I quickly put on. It was three weeks since the last time I left my house. «What are we celebrating?» I asked as we were walking in pursuit of a pub.
«I broke up with Kristen.» Jess proudly said.
«Really?» I asked surprised. «Now I get why you're so happy.»
«I found out that her name was actually Stephanie and she was just a fan obsessed with Jess, that pretended to be called Kristen to be likened by him.» Evie said.
«For "find out" she means that she stole her ID.» Jess said.
«Remember we went all at your house? She wanted to see your house and see...» Evie said but interrupted herself.
Alex. That's what she wanted to say.

We found a pub not long after. The music was good, the people were okay and the drinks kept coming.
The pub was particularly crowded, probably because it was Friday and so, it was hard to walk around, without pushing someone or stepping on feet, in fact, Chase unintentionally trampled somebody's toe and the victim didn't seem to be very chill about it. A bald man in his forties, with a Viking beard, black leather jacket and a beer belly, the typical biker you find in pubs, started yelling at him. «Watch your steps toothpick.» he said.
It was hard not to hear him, indeed Jess stood up, looking at the tattooed man. «Oi,» he loudly said looking straight at the biker. The man slowly turned towards Jess's direction as he approached. «what did you just called him?» he said.
His Australian accent became stronger every time he was angry or drunk, and that night, he was both.
He was standing a couple of inches from him. «Toothpick,» the man confidently said. «why? Is it a problem?» he teased.
«You don't call my mate like that.» he said.
Jess was very tall, but so was the other man, they were staring at each other's eyes.
«Leave him alone, Drake.» one of the man's friend said, adding a little chuckle at the end, making it seems like a mockery.
Drake chuckled as well. «Yeah, I don't fight with kids.» he said turning around to his friend group.
Jess grasped the collar of his leather jacket, pulling him to turn back to him, so that he could place a punch right in the face. The whole pub turned around, to see the twenty-three-years-old punch a big man in his forties.
Me, Evie and Chase rushed to stop the situation, but as we tried to give us room among the crowd, Jess was already on top of the man, punching him rapid-fire. «Get out of my pub.» the owner yelled multiple times.
Chase finally pulled Jess away and after spitting on the floor yelled: «The kid beat the shit out of you, didn't he?»
Luckily Jess didn't get hurt as much as Drake: he only had a cut on the eyebrow and a red bruise under his left eye.

The following day, in the evening, the four of us got summoned by Mark, in his office. We knew exactly what he wanted to tell us, so we mentally prepared ourselves. «You should learn how to behave,» he said strictly as soon as we sat down in front of his desk. «you're not losers anymore, believe it or not.» he said with the same tone parents use when they're disappointed. «You,» he said looking straight at me. «stop being so careless about everything, your imagine is important;» he said. «and you,» he turned to Jess, who was sitting next to me. «keep it down and stop with the alcohol and the drugs if you can't control yourself.»
I looked at Jess and then at Mark. «We are just living our life, we are humans.»
His eyes filled with anger. «Yeah,» he said sarcastically. «you are humans too, but with millions of people watching you. Yesterday, two in the morning, you» he said pointing at Jess. «fought with a guy and I bet you all thought that nobody would have known, well you're wrong, because somebody filmed you and posted it on Twitter.» he said. Jess looked down ashamed. «Now every magazine is talking about Jess's violence, or Arabella's rudeness.»
«I just told to the paparazzi to not keep asking me personal questions.» I said.
«That's not what you have to do, don't say anything, that's all you have to do.»
«So what are we now? Puppets?» I said. «I can't say what I want now, just because I make music?»
«Exactly.» Mark said.
«That's not what we wanted.»
«I don't care,» Mark shook his head as he raised his eyebrows. «you're now public figures and if you want your music to be likened, you have to behave how they want.» he said. «I'm not gonna tell you again, if you're smart enough you'll listen to what I tell you.» He folded his arms to his chest. «Next week you'll have an interview, act like I told you.»

No. 1 Party Anthem// Alex TurnerWhere stories live. Discover now